The specifications from the Savage Arms website state that it is a short action rifle available in both 308 Winchester and 223 Remington. Both calibers have a barrel length of 20 inches; the 308 Winchester having a 1-10” twist rate and the 223 Remington a 1-9” twist rate. The rifle has an approximate weight of 7 pounds and an overall length of 40.5 inches. Suggested Retail price is $829.00.
For this review I requested a rifle chambered in 223 Remington. From what I have seen of this rifle it is close to the specks of the model 10 predator hunter. The 20-inch barrel measures .770” at the muzzle and .900” at the end of the stock, and features the standard recessed target crown found on all Savage rifles. The barrel is attached via a smooth barrel nut rather than the typical slotted nut, which really helps to streamline the appearance of the barreled action. The Action features the standard LEO/Varmint AccuTrigger, a large BT-style bold handle, and a matte black bolt body as typically found on the LEO Series rifles. The metal is finished out in a matte black parkerized finish.
With the “Accu-Stock,” like most new Savage models, the bolt release has been moved from the side of the action to front of the trigger guard. The bolt now has a rear-cocking indicator that protrudes through the Bolt Assembly Screw (BAS) to replace the sear mounted “flag” indicator.
Unique to the Accu-Stock, there are the typical two action screws and a new third screw pulls a wedge (called the Accu-Wedge) tight against the recoil lug. The mounting screws can be difficult to get to because the front screw is partially covered by the magazine latch and the rear screw is completely covered by the bolt release, but once you learn the trick they’re quite easy to install and remove. The Accu-Stock has a molded in aluminum skeleton that solidly supports the action while a long tang that runs out to the front sling swivels for increased rigidity.
For the purpose of this review I mounted up a Mueller 8-32x 44mm rifle scope using a set of high 30mm Burris Signature rings and the factory supplied Weaver-style mounts which provided plenty of clearance. I also mounted a Harris bipod on the middle swivel before taking it out to the range.
The Accu-Stock is definitely better than the standard synthetic stocks still found on many of Savage’s Package and Hunter series rifles, but it does still have a little flex in it. I could not flex the stock much, but it is still not as steady as higher end synthetic stocks, but then again this is a cost-effective mass production stock and is a significant improvement over the standard synthetic stock.
After shooting about 50 rounds I found that I did not like shooting off a bipod, so I removed the front sling swivels and shot the gun from a mechanical rest. The front swivels just unscrew, so there is no need to take the stock off and get a wrench to hold nuts like you need to do with the standard synthetic stocks.
During the break-in period with various different 52gr Match bullets (Nosler, Sierra, BIB, Berger, Hornady) I found this rifle would average groups in the 0.6” area. Similar results were had with 64gr Winchester SP bullets. Shooting the rifle off both a bipod and a rest, I noticed that when pulling the trigger the sight picture would drift down the target, which resulted in the vertical grouping that I saw. This is likely a direct result of the Accu-Stock flexing in the grip area as previously noted.
I also found that the magazine would not feed any hollow point bullets. (52gr, 69gr or 77gr), but would feed bullets with a point just fine. (64gr win SP, 52gr a-max) This has been an issue on Savage’s chambered for the smaller diameter cartridges (.223 Rem, .204 Ruger, etc.) for a while now and could easily be remedied by having a feed cone cut into the back of the barrel similar to those found on AR-15’s.
I tried the77gr Sierra Match King bullet as this was the specific bullet used in Savages’ test target supplied with the rifle. The test target measured in at 0.7” with three shots of Federal Gold Match with 77 SMK’s. I could not find load data in the Sierra manual, so I call a friend of mine - Rich Machholz at Sierra Bullets - for a recommendation. He stated that they never thought anyone would use this bullet in a bolt gun, and suggested I use the AR-15 223 Rem data found in their manual.
Playing with different powders I found the Model 10 Precision Carbine really liked the 77-grain Sierra Match Kings. Shooting in 20 to 30 MPH wind, my first 5-shot group with the SMK’s at 100-yards measured 0.460”, and three of the rounds were in the same hole measuring 0.145”. This bullet proved to buck the wind very well as other groups showed to be just as promising.
I then went back to the lighter bullets and shot a great group with the 53-gr Sierra Match Kings. In that group the first two shots were in the same hole, the third shot went a half a bullet left, and the forth shot went back into the same hole, for a group that measured 0.224”. The fifth shot spoiled the group hitting about a bullet width right of the group for a final group size of 0.392”. This rifle shows a ton of potential, even with the barrel still being a little rough.
Next I tried the 69gr SMK’s because of the overwhelming number of good reports other Savage owners have shared about how well this combo shoots in their 1-9 twist 223’s. I also switched from the CCI BR4 primers I had been using to the Remington 7½’s, mainly because I wanted to mimic the formula everyone else is having success with the 69gr SMK. I also tried out the 68gr Hornady match, and the 69gr Nosler competition.
My next trip to the range proved to be enlightening. Thus far the accuracy of the Precision Carbine has been somewhat sporadic with a lot of vertical grouping and unexplained fliers. After trying three different scopes without curing the issue, I started looking elsewhere and found what I believe to have been the cause – namely the Accu-Wedge.
When I loosened the Accu-Wedge the whole barreled action clunked in the stock, even though the action screws were still tight. It’s my belief that the Accu-Wedge was inducing stress upon the action as the rifle clearly shot better with the wedge very lightly tightened down rather than torqued down tight. When I later retightened the Accu-Wedge the gun started shooting vertical spreads again. I also found that if you completely remove the Accu-Wedge it shot the same as with light pressure.
After making this discovery I was able to shoot some truly impressive groups - all of them in the .5 area. I found that going from the 52-gr bullets to the 69-gr bullets the point of aim changed drastically. The heavier bullets impacted about 1 min left and ½ min lower, at 100 yards. I did find that the 68 and 69-gr bullets shot slightly better than other weights.
I did shoot an amazing three shot 100-yard group that measured at .099, with a bad flier that started the group for a total group size of .458”. This group was followed up by another nice group, but this time I was playing around holding for different wind conditions. The first shot hit left of the bulls-eye at a calm condition. The wind picked up and I held what I felt was good, left of the first shot in the third ring; I placed the next three shots in the same hole. Then the wind slightly changed direction putting the fifth shot high. The total group size measured at .558, with three shots measuring at .187.
After firing over 300 rounds I noticed that some of the paint on the stock had chipped away revealing the black plastic underneath. Considering this rifle has not been carried and all of its use had been on a bench while being careful when handling the rifle, the durability of the finish is sketchy at best.
All in all though, the M10 Precision Carbine is a lightweight and easy handling rifle that would make an excellent walking varminter (or mountain rifle for deer hunting when chambered in .308 Win). The Accu-Stock is a big improvement over the standard synthetic stocks, but it still ahs room for improvement and I was rather disappointed that the durability of the camo finish.
The rifle shot extremely well for an unmodified factory rifle with most loads grouping just over a half-inch and the occasional spectacular group well below ½ MOA. The Precision Carbine didn’t seem to be picky about load or bullet selection as it grouped them all about the same with the occasional exception. I did get an unexplained flyer from time to time, but their numbers were less frequent after removing the Accu-Wedge. Even with the flyers though, every group came in at under an MOA.
The only serious issue I found is that the magazine would not feed any hollow point rounds. As noted earlier, this is mainly due to the smaller diameter .223 chamber and the overall diameter of the breech of the barrel. The only sure-fire cure is to add a feed cone similar to those found on AR-15/M-16 barrels, a novel idea which has been safely in use for nearly 50 years now.
On the plus side, I love the short barrel and the weight of this rifle. The Precision Carbine feels right in the hands and is very well balanced which should lead to great handling in the field. The rifle rides the bags very well as the camouflage film on the stock made the gun glide effortlessly on the leather. The new bolt release design is a winner as I find it much easier to insert and remove the bolt compared to the old sear-mounted flag release.
Overall I feel the Precision Carbine is a very nice addition to the Savage line up and would make for a great carry gun in the field whether it is being used for hunting or tactical purposes.
Contact Information
Savage Arms
100 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: (413) 568-7001
www.SavageArms.com
Savage Arms
100 Springdale Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: (413) 568-7001
www.SavageArms.com
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